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The South Lawn

Thank you, Sharona.

It takes incredible courage to not only heal, but to also share your journey so that others can heal too. It’s that same bravery you called on when you chose to put on the uniform and protect others.

Thank you and your daughter for your service.

Every time the President’s Own play, you fill the hearts of all who hear you with pride – and today is no different. Let’s give the Marine Band another round of applause for that incredible rendition of our National Anthem. 

Warriors never ride alone.

That’s the promise of the Wounded Warrior Project – and, as you can see today: it’s true.

Because this isn’t a race. It’s a ride.

It’s not about how fast you can go or leaving people in your dust. It’s about riding as one.

And there’s a magic when you come together. In every look, laugh, encouraging word, or maybe a smile, you pull each other through the pedals, the miles, the days.

Recovery isn’t a race either. You don’t succeed by going faster. Some days you may even feel like you aren’t moving at all. There are challenges that never seem to go away. But warriors find a way forward, together. Because healing is not a straight line. It’s a journey that continues – and at some point, maybe today – you look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

And it’s not just you.

Beside the riders here, there are families.

You – military spouses and kids – may not have worn a uniform, but you serve our country too. Missions may end – wars may come to a close – but the sacrifices that your families make endure.

The Bidens are a military family.

My father was a Navy Signalman in World War II. And our son, Major Beau Biden, served for a year in Iraq as part of the Delaware Army National Guard.

So, as a military mom, and as your First Lady, I want to let you know how much all of you mean to me and to your Commander-in-Chief, President Biden.

The United States doesn’t demand military service of our citizens – you step forward: everyday heroes who sacrifice your own safety, willingly and proudly, so that others can be free.

You represent the best of this country. And you and your families deserve nothing less than our unconditional respect and support.

That’s what Joining Forces – my White House initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors – is all about.

And so many of you have been with us from the beginning – have become old friends. It’s great to see you again. Thank you for your ideas, your hard work, and your collaboration. It’s what has allowed us to make so much incredible progress over the last three years:

An historic Executive Order that expands veterans’ access to high-quality, home-based care, which Joe signed last year. He got the PACT Act done, which means more benefits and health care for veterans harmed by toxins. His Administration is investing a record amount in free mental health services for veterans. He’s removing barriers to employment for military spouses, and pushing the private sector to hire veterans and military spouses. And he’s working to end veteran homelessness and prevent veteran suicide.

My husband often says that we have many obligations as a nation, but only one sacred obligation: to support you and your families when we send you into harm’s way, and when you return.

As President – and as a military dad – he never loses sight of that conviction.

That’s why he’s working tirelessly to make sure you and your families have what you need to thrive.

Today, and every day, we ride with you – your President, your nation, and all of us here.

With all my heart, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

May God bless our military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors.

Now, it’s time to begin your ride!

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride appeared first on The White House.

The South Lawn

Thank you, Sharona.

It takes incredible courage to not only heal, but to also share your journey so that others can heal too. It’s that same bravery you called on when you chose to put on the uniform and protect others.

Thank you and your daughter for your service.

Every time the President’s Own play, you fill the hearts of all who hear you with pride – and today is no different. Let’s give the Marine Band another round of applause for that incredible rendition of our National Anthem. 

Warriors never ride alone.

That’s the promise of the Wounded Warrior Project – and, as you can see today: it’s true.

Because this isn’t a race. It’s a ride.

It’s not about how fast you can go or leaving people in your dust. It’s about riding as one.

And there’s a magic when you come together. In every look, laugh, encouraging word, or maybe a smile, you pull each other through the pedals, the miles, the days.

Recovery isn’t a race either. You don’t succeed by going faster. Some days you may even feel like you aren’t moving at all. There are challenges that never seem to go away. But warriors find a way forward, together. Because healing is not a straight line. It’s a journey that continues – and at some point, maybe today – you look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

And it’s not just you.

Beside the riders here, there are families.

You – military spouses and kids – may not have worn a uniform, but you serve our country too. Missions may end – wars may come to a close – but the sacrifices that your families make endure.

The Bidens are a military family.

My father was a Navy Signalman in World War II. And our son, Major Beau Biden, served for a year in Iraq as part of the Delaware Army National Guard.

So, as a military mom, and as your First Lady, I want to let you know how much all of you mean to me and to your Commander-in-Chief, President Biden.

The United States doesn’t demand military service of our citizens – you step forward: everyday heroes who sacrifice your own safety, willingly and proudly, so that others can be free.

You represent the best of this country. And you and your families deserve nothing less than our unconditional respect and support.

That’s what Joining Forces – my White House initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors – is all about.

And so many of you have been with us from the beginning – have become old friends. It’s great to see you again. Thank you for your ideas, your hard work, and your collaboration. It’s what has allowed us to make so much incredible progress over the last three years:

An historic Executive Order that expands veterans’ access to high-quality, home-based care, which Joe signed last year. He got the PACT Act done, which means more benefits and health care for veterans harmed by toxins. His Administration is investing a record amount in free mental health services for veterans. He’s removing barriers to employment for military spouses, and pushing the private sector to hire veterans and military spouses. And he’s working to end veteran homelessness and prevent veteran suicide.

My husband often says that we have many obligations as a nation, but only one sacred obligation: to support you and your families when we send you into harm’s way, and when you return.

As President – and as a military dad – he never loses sight of that conviction.

That’s why he’s working tirelessly to make sure you and your families have what you need to thrive.

Today, and every day, we ride with you – your President, your nation, and all of us here.

With all my heart, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

May God bless our military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors.

Now, it’s time to begin your ride!

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride appeared first on The White House.

Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

In accordance with section 406 of division A, section 510 of division B, and section 405 of division C of the Act making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 (H.R. 815; the “Act”), I hereby designate as emergency requirements all funding (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 

                             Sincerely,

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with the Act Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

In accordance with section 406 of division A, section 510 of division B, and section 405 of division C of the Act making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 (H.R. 815; the “Act”), I hereby designate as emergency requirements all funding (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 

                             Sincerely,

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with the Act Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

State Dining Room

10:57 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  It’s a good day for America, it’s a good day for Europe, and it’s a good day for world peace, for real.  This is consequential.

I just signed into law the national security package that was passed by the House of Representatives this weekend and by the Senate yesterday. 

It’s going to make America safer.  It’s going to make the world safer.  And it continues America’s leadership in the world, and everyone knows it. 

It gives vital support to America’s partners and they — so they can defend themselves against threats to their sovereignty and to the lives and freedom of their citizens.  And it’s an investment in our own security, because when our allies are stronger — and I want to make this point again and again — when our allies are stronger, we are stronger.

I’m grateful for all — grateful to all those in Congress — Democrats, Republicans, independents — who voted for this bill.

It’s a path — to my desk, it was a difficult path.  It should have been easier, and it should have gotten there sooner.  But in the end, we did what America always does: We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done.

Now we need to move fast, and we are. 

Over two years, Russia has been responsible for a brutal campaign against Ukraine.  They’ve killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians, bombed hospitals — deliberately picked them out — bombed hospitals, kindergartens, grain silos; tried to plunge Ukraine into a cold and dark winter by striking their power grid.

Ukrainians have fought — the Ukrainians have fought back, defending their country and their families with extraordinary courage.  Many of you have been there with me many times.  It’s amazing what they do.  I mean, it’s amazing. 
 
Against such a larger military, Ukraine has regained over half the territory that Russia took from them in this invasion.  And they won important victories against Russia’s navy.  But make no mistake about: They’re a fighting force with the will and the skill to win — the will and the skill to win.

For months, while MAGA Republicans were blocking aid, Ukraine has been running out of artillery shells and ammunition.

Meanwhile, Putin’s friends keep giving him — are keeping him well supplied.  Iran sent him drones.  North Korea has sent him ballistic missiles and artillery shells.  China is providing components and know-how to boost Russia’s defense production.

With all this support, Russia has ramped up its airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, rained down munitions on U- — brave Ukrainians defending their homeland.  And now Americans are going to send Ukraine the supplies they need to keep them in the fight.

This weekend, there are reports — and this is — I find this amazing.  There are reports of cheers breaking out of the trenches in eastern Ukraine — probably came from one of your folks — a reporter or someone.  I’m not sure where it came from.  But that they’re cheering as they watch the House vote in support for Ukraine.

It’s not like they don’t understand what we’ve done.  Not like they don’t understand how critical this is for them.

I’m making sure the shipments start right away.

In the next few hours — literally, the few hours — we’re going to begin sending in equipment to Ukraine for air defense; munitions for artillery, for rocket systems; and armored vehicles. 

You know, this package is literally an investment, not only in Ur- — Ukraine’s security but in Europe’s security, in our own security.
 
We’re sending Ukraine equipment from our own stockpiles, and then we’ll replenish those stockpiles with new products made by American companies here in America: Patriot missiles made in Arizona, Javelins made in Alabama, artillery shells made in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. 
 
In other words, we’re helping Ukraine while at the same time investing in our own industrial base, strengthening our own national security, and supporting jobs in nearly 40 states all across America.
 
You know, the United States is not acting alone, to state the obvious.  Our allies in Europe and around the world, who for — constantly been asking me, “Are we going to step up?  We’re not going to walk away, are we?  How many” — and some of you have been in these international meetings with me.  They’re very concerned.  Had we failed to step up, Lord only knows what would happen to the cohesion of NATO.
 
We’re also sendi- — they’re also sending significant help to Ukraine.  We’re all standing together against this brutal dictator.  
 
As I’ve argued for months, this is directly — directly in the United States’ national security interest.  If Putin trium- — triumphs in Ukraine, the next move of Russian forces could very well be a direct attack on a NATO Ally.  And you all know full well that invoking Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty would be the first thing that comes to mind, which declares an attack on one is an attack on all.
 
If Putin attacks a NATO Ally, like he’s attacking Ukraine today, we’d have no choice but to come to their aid, just like our NATO Allies came to our la- — our aid after the September 11th attacks here. 
 
That’s why we’re supporting and surging support now to Ukraine: to stop Putin from drawing the United States into a war in Europe and in the future. 
 
You know, it seems to me we should take a little bit of a step back and realize what a critical moment this was for the United States and for NATO.  This is a historical moment.
 
In the last two years, we’ve helped unify, strengthen, and expand NATO.  Imagine if instead we had failed — we had failed to step up now and support Ukraine.  All those gains would have begun to unravel, the cohesion of NATO would have been weakened, and our national security would have been undermined, without any question.
 
You know, Putin started this war believing he could easily break the will of the people of Ukraine.  When that failed, he changed his strategy a little bit, thinking he could break the — break the will of NATO, break the will of the United States, break our will.  Well, he’s failed again.
 
America stands with our friends.  We stand up against dictators.  We bow to no one — to no one, certainly not Vladimir Putin. 
 
Look, this bill also includes vital support for Israel.  Just 10 days ago, we saw Iran launch over 100 missiles and drones at Israel.  And because of them and other allies across the countr- — world, including from the region, none — no serious damage occurred.  An unprecedented attack that followed years of Iran supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, and proxies of their own — their own attack on Israel.  They — they fund these guys. 
 
My commitment to Israel, I want to make clear again, is ironclad.  The security of Israel is critical.  I will always make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and terrorists it supports.
 
And with this aid, the United States can help replenish Israel’s air defense and provide other critical defense so Iran can never carry out the destruction it intended with its attack 10 days ago.
 
But at the same time, this bill significantly — significantly increases humanitarian assistance we’re sending to the innocent people of Gaza, who are suffering badly.  They’re suffering the consequences of this war that Hamas started.  And we’ve been working intently for months to get as much aid to Gaza as possible.
 
This bill includes $1 billion for additional humanitarian aid in Gaza.  We’re going to immediately secure that aid and surge it — surge it, including food, medical supplies, clean water.  And Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay. 
 
And everything we do is guided by the ultimate goal of bringing these hostages home, securing a ceasefire, and setting the conditions for an enduring peace. 
 
You know, there’s more that this bill does, in- — as you all know, the press here, including providing for support to strengthen even further our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as humanitarian aid to places including Haiti, Sudan, and Somalia. 
 
But there’s one thing this bill does not do: border security. 
 
You know, just this year, I proposed and negotiated and agreed to the strongest border security bill this country has ever, ever, ever seen.  It was bipartisan.  It should have been included in this bill, and I’m determined to get it done for the American people.  But I’ll come back to that in another mom- — another time. 
 
This is a reminder of what America can do when we s- — when we come together, despite our differences. 
 
I want to thank everyone in Congress who made it possible, especially the bipartisan leadership: Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson; Leader Jeffries; Leaders Schumer and McConnell.  They don’t always agree, but when it matters most, they stepped up and did the right thing.  And I mean this sincerely, history will remember this time.  History will remember this moment.
 
For all the talk about how dysfunctional things are in Washington, when you look over the past three years, we see that time and again on the critical issues we’ve actually come together.  It hadn’t always been easy, but when it’s come time to decide to rebuild America, we did it with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is just underway. 
 
When it came time to invest in our semiconductor industry and technica- — technologic- — technologies of the future, we did it with the CHIPS and Science Act. 
 
And when it came time to stand with Ukraine and Israel and help the people of Gaza, we did that as well. 
 
At the end of the day, most of us — whether we’re Democrats, Republicans, or independents — believe that America must stand up for what is right. 

We don’t walk away from our allies; we stand with them.  We don’t let tyrants win; we oppose them.  We don’t merely watch global events unfold; we shape them. 
 
That’s what it means to be the ins- — the indispensable nation.  That’s what it means to be the world’s superpower and the world’s leading democracy. 
 
Some of our MAGA Republican friends reject that vision, but this vote makes it clear: There is a bipartisan consensus for that kind of American leadership.  That’s exactly what we’ll continue to deliver. 
 
I thank you all very much.  And now I’m going off to make a speech at a hotel that I am late for.  And I’ll have plenty of time to answer questions on this and other matters. 
 
Thank you.
 
  11:08 A.M. EDT
 
 

The post Remarks by President Biden on the Passage of H.R. 815, the National Security Supplemental appeared first on The White House.

State Dining Room

10:57 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  It’s a good day for America, it’s a good day for Europe, and it’s a good day for world peace, for real.  This is consequential.

I just signed into law the national security package that was passed by the House of Representatives this weekend and by the Senate yesterday. 

It’s going to make America safer.  It’s going to make the world safer.  And it continues America’s leadership in the world, and everyone knows it. 

It gives vital support to America’s partners and they — so they can defend themselves against threats to their sovereignty and to the lives and freedom of their citizens.  And it’s an investment in our own security, because when our allies are stronger — and I want to make this point again and again — when our allies are stronger, we are stronger.

I’m grateful for all — grateful to all those in Congress — Democrats, Republicans, independents — who voted for this bill.

It’s a path — to my desk, it was a difficult path.  It should have been easier, and it should have gotten there sooner.  But in the end, we did what America always does: We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done.

Now we need to move fast, and we are. 

Over two years, Russia has been responsible for a brutal campaign against Ukraine.  They’ve killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians, bombed hospitals — deliberately picked them out — bombed hospitals, kindergartens, grain silos; tried to plunge Ukraine into a cold and dark winter by striking their power grid.

Ukrainians have fought — the Ukrainians have fought back, defending their country and their families with extraordinary courage.  Many of you have been there with me many times.  It’s amazing what they do.  I mean, it’s amazing. 
 
Against such a larger military, Ukraine has regained over half the territory that Russia took from them in this invasion.  And they won important victories against Russia’s navy.  But make no mistake about: They’re a fighting force with the will and the skill to win — the will and the skill to win.

For months, while MAGA Republicans were blocking aid, Ukraine has been running out of artillery shells and ammunition.

Meanwhile, Putin’s friends keep giving him — are keeping him well supplied.  Iran sent him drones.  North Korea has sent him ballistic missiles and artillery shells.  China is providing components and know-how to boost Russia’s defense production.

With all this support, Russia has ramped up its airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, rained down munitions on U- — brave Ukrainians defending their homeland.  And now Americans are going to send Ukraine the supplies they need to keep them in the fight.

This weekend, there are reports — and this is — I find this amazing.  There are reports of cheers breaking out of the trenches in eastern Ukraine — probably came from one of your folks — a reporter or someone.  I’m not sure where it came from.  But that they’re cheering as they watch the House vote in support for Ukraine.

It’s not like they don’t understand what we’ve done.  Not like they don’t understand how critical this is for them.

I’m making sure the shipments start right away.

In the next few hours — literally, the few hours — we’re going to begin sending in equipment to Ukraine for air defense; munitions for artillery, for rocket systems; and armored vehicles. 

You know, this package is literally an investment, not only in Ur- — Ukraine’s security but in Europe’s security, in our own security.
 
We’re sending Ukraine equipment from our own stockpiles, and then we’ll replenish those stockpiles with new products made by American companies here in America: Patriot missiles made in Arizona, Javelins made in Alabama, artillery shells made in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. 
 
In other words, we’re helping Ukraine while at the same time investing in our own industrial base, strengthening our own national security, and supporting jobs in nearly 40 states all across America.
 
You know, the United States is not acting alone, to state the obvious.  Our allies in Europe and around the world, who for — constantly been asking me, “Are we going to step up?  We’re not going to walk away, are we?  How many” — and some of you have been in these international meetings with me.  They’re very concerned.  Had we failed to step up, Lord only knows what would happen to the cohesion of NATO.
 
We’re also sendi- — they’re also sending significant help to Ukraine.  We’re all standing together against this brutal dictator.  
 
As I’ve argued for months, this is directly — directly in the United States’ national security interest.  If Putin trium- — triumphs in Ukraine, the next move of Russian forces could very well be a direct attack on a NATO Ally.  And you all know full well that invoking Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty would be the first thing that comes to mind, which declares an attack on one is an attack on all.
 
If Putin attacks a NATO Ally, like he’s attacking Ukraine today, we’d have no choice but to come to their aid, just like our NATO Allies came to our la- — our aid after the September 11th attacks here. 
 
That’s why we’re supporting and surging support now to Ukraine: to stop Putin from drawing the United States into a war in Europe and in the future. 
 
You know, it seems to me we should take a little bit of a step back and realize what a critical moment this was for the United States and for NATO.  This is a historical moment.
 
In the last two years, we’ve helped unify, strengthen, and expand NATO.  Imagine if instead we had failed — we had failed to step up now and support Ukraine.  All those gains would have begun to unravel, the cohesion of NATO would have been weakened, and our national security would have been undermined, without any question.
 
You know, Putin started this war believing he could easily break the will of the people of Ukraine.  When that failed, he changed his strategy a little bit, thinking he could break the — break the will of NATO, break the will of the United States, break our will.  Well, he’s failed again.
 
America stands with our friends.  We stand up against dictators.  We bow to no one — to no one, certainly not Vladimir Putin. 
 
Look, this bill also includes vital support for Israel.  Just 10 days ago, we saw Iran launch over 100 missiles and drones at Israel.  And because of them and other allies across the countr- — world, including from the region, none — no serious damage occurred.  An unprecedented attack that followed years of Iran supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, and proxies of their own — their own attack on Israel.  They — they fund these guys. 
 
My commitment to Israel, I want to make clear again, is ironclad.  The security of Israel is critical.  I will always make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and terrorists it supports.
 
And with this aid, the United States can help replenish Israel’s air defense and provide other critical defense so Iran can never carry out the destruction it intended with its attack 10 days ago.
 
But at the same time, this bill significantly — significantly increases humanitarian assistance we’re sending to the innocent people of Gaza, who are suffering badly.  They’re suffering the consequences of this war that Hamas started.  And we’ve been working intently for months to get as much aid to Gaza as possible.
 
This bill includes $1 billion for additional humanitarian aid in Gaza.  We’re going to immediately secure that aid and surge it — surge it, including food, medical supplies, clean water.  And Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay. 
 
And everything we do is guided by the ultimate goal of bringing these hostages home, securing a ceasefire, and setting the conditions for an enduring peace. 
 
You know, there’s more that this bill does, in- — as you all know, the press here, including providing for support to strengthen even further our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as humanitarian aid to places including Haiti, Sudan, and Somalia. 
 
But there’s one thing this bill does not do: border security. 
 
You know, just this year, I proposed and negotiated and agreed to the strongest border security bill this country has ever, ever, ever seen.  It was bipartisan.  It should have been included in this bill, and I’m determined to get it done for the American people.  But I’ll come back to that in another mom- — another time. 
 
This is a reminder of what America can do when we s- — when we come together, despite our differences. 
 
I want to thank everyone in Congress who made it possible, especially the bipartisan leadership: Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson; Leader Jeffries; Leaders Schumer and McConnell.  They don’t always agree, but when it matters most, they stepped up and did the right thing.  And I mean this sincerely, history will remember this time.  History will remember this moment.
 
For all the talk about how dysfunctional things are in Washington, when you look over the past three years, we see that time and again on the critical issues we’ve actually come together.  It hadn’t always been easy, but when it’s come time to decide to rebuild America, we did it with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is just underway. 
 
When it came time to invest in our semiconductor industry and technica- — technologic- — technologies of the future, we did it with the CHIPS and Science Act. 
 
And when it came time to stand with Ukraine and Israel and help the people of Gaza, we did that as well. 
 
At the end of the day, most of us — whether we’re Democrats, Republicans, or independents — believe that America must stand up for what is right. 

We don’t walk away from our allies; we stand with them.  We don’t let tyrants win; we oppose them.  We don’t merely watch global events unfold; we shape them. 
 
That’s what it means to be the ins- — the indispensable nation.  That’s what it means to be the world’s superpower and the world’s leading democracy. 
 
Some of our MAGA Republican friends reject that vision, but this vote makes it clear: There is a bipartisan consensus for that kind of American leadership.  That’s exactly what we’ll continue to deliver. 
 
I thank you all very much.  And now I’m going off to make a speech at a hotel that I am late for.  And I’ll have plenty of time to answer questions on this and other matters. 
 
Thank you.
 
  11:08 A.M. EDT
 
 

The post Remarks by President Biden on the Passage of H.R. 815, the National Security Supplemental appeared first on The White House.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT:       Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to $145 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 appeared first on The White House.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT:       Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to $145 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 appeared first on The White House.

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the President signed into law:

H.R. 815, which provides supplemental emergency appropriations for fiscal year 2024 to Federal agencies to respond to the situations in Israel and Ukraine, and for assistance to the Indo-Pacific region.  

Thank you to Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries, and many others for their leadership.

###

The post Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 815 appeared first on The White House.

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the President signed into law:

H.R. 815, which provides supplemental emergency appropriations for fiscal year 2024 to Federal agencies to respond to the situations in Israel and Ukraine, and for assistance to the Indo-Pacific region.  

Thank you to Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries, and many others for their leadership.

###

The post Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 815 appeared first on The White House.

The President is announcing his intent to nominate seven individuals to federal district courts—all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.

These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country—both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.

This will be President Biden’s forty-eighth round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 236.

United States District Court Announcements

1. Judge Michelle Williams Court: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Michelle Williams Court has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2012, and supervising judge in the Court’s civil division since 2023. Previously, Judge Court worked as an attorney and later vice president and general counsel at Bet Tzedek Legal Services from 2002 to 2011. Before that, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach from 2000 to 2002; as a fellow and civil rights specialist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1999 to 2000; as a litigation associate at Litt & Marquez from 1995 to 1999; as a project attorney at the ACLU of Southern California from 1994 to 1995; and as an associate at Gilbert Kelly Crowley & Jennett from 1993 to 1994. Judge Court received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1993 and her B.A. from Pomona College in 1988.

2. Judge Anne Hwang: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Anne Hwang has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2019. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Hwang served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 2006 to 2018, becoming Chief Deputy Federal Public Defender in 2018. Before that, Judge Hwang worked as a litigation associate at Irell & Manella LLP from 2002 to 2006. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 2002 and her B.A. from Cornell University in 1997.

3. Danna Jackson: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Montana

Danna Jackson has been Tribal Attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Pablo, Montana, since 2023. She previously served at the U.S. Department of the Interior as Senior Counselor to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and then Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science from 2021 to 2023. Before that, Ms. Jackson served as Chief Legal Counsel at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Helena, Montana, from 2016 to 2021 and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Tribal Liaison in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana from 2010 to 2016. Ms. Jackson also worked as a counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP from 2005 to 2010, after serving as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate from 2002 to 2005 and a staff attorney at the National Indian Gaming Commission from 2000 to 2002. She received her J.D. and her B.A. from the University of Montana in 1996 and 1993, respectively.

4. Judge Sarah Netburn: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

Judge Sarah Netburn has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York since 2012 and has been the Court’s Chief United States Magistrate Judge since 2024. From 2010 to 2012, Judge Netburn served as the Southern District of New York’s Chief Counsel to the Office of Pro Se Litigation. Prior to her judicial service, Judge Netburn worked from 2002 to 2010 at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP where she rose from associate to partner. She served as a law clerk for Judge Harry Pregerson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002. Judge Netburn received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 2001 and her B.A. from Brown University in 1994.

5. Stacey D. Neumann: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maine

Stacey D. Neumann has worked in private practice at Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, Maine since 2013, and has been a partner at the firm since 2017. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Neumann served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and then an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. Before that, she was a staff attorney at the Vermont Office of the Defender General in Chittenden County from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Neumann served as a law clerk for Judge Peter W. Hall on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2006 to 2007 and for Judge John A. Dooley on the Vermont Supreme Court from 2005 to 2006. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 2005 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from James Madison University in 2000.

6. April Perry: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

April Perry has been Senior Counsel of Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention at GE HealthCare since 2022. She was previously the General Counsel at Ubiety Technologies from 2019 to 2022. From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Perry served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Chief Ethics Officer for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She also worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2004 to 2016. Ms. Perry served as a law clerk for Judge Joel M. Flaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2003 to 2004. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2003 and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University in 2000.

7. Judge Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Cynthia Valenzuela has been a judge on the California State Bar Court in Los Angeles since her appointment by the California Supreme Court in 2016. Previously, Judge Valenzuela worked as the Criminal Justice Act Supervising Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2016 and as the head of national litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Judge Valenzuela served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California from 2000 to 2006; as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2000; and as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Los Angeles from 1995 to 1998. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1995 and her B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1991.

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The President is announcing his intent to nominate seven individuals to federal district courts—all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.

These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country—both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.

This will be President Biden’s forty-eighth round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 236.

United States District Court Announcements

1. Judge Michelle Williams Court: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Michelle Williams Court has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2012, and supervising judge in the Court’s civil division since 2023. Previously, Judge Court worked as an attorney and later vice president and general counsel at Bet Tzedek Legal Services from 2002 to 2011. Before that, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach from 2000 to 2002; as a fellow and civil rights specialist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1999 to 2000; as a litigation associate at Litt & Marquez from 1995 to 1999; as a project attorney at the ACLU of Southern California from 1994 to 1995; and as an associate at Gilbert Kelly Crowley & Jennett from 1993 to 1994. Judge Court received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1993 and her B.A. from Pomona College in 1988.

2. Judge Anne Hwang: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Anne Hwang has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2019. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Hwang served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 2006 to 2018, becoming Chief Deputy Federal Public Defender in 2018. Before that, Judge Hwang worked as a litigation associate at Irell & Manella LLP from 2002 to 2006. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 2002 and her B.A. from Cornell University in 1997.

3. Danna Jackson: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Montana

Danna Jackson has been Tribal Attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Pablo, Montana, since 2023. She previously served at the U.S. Department of the Interior as Senior Counselor to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and then Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science from 2021 to 2023. Before that, Ms. Jackson served as Chief Legal Counsel at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Helena, Montana, from 2016 to 2021 and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Tribal Liaison in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana from 2010 to 2016. Ms. Jackson also worked as a counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP from 2005 to 2010, after serving as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate from 2002 to 2005 and a staff attorney at the National Indian Gaming Commission from 2000 to 2002. She received her J.D. and her B.A. from the University of Montana in 1996 and 1993, respectively.

4. Judge Sarah Netburn: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

Judge Sarah Netburn has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York since 2012 and has been the Court’s Chief United States Magistrate Judge since 2024. From 2010 to 2012, Judge Netburn served as the Southern District of New York’s Chief Counsel to the Office of Pro Se Litigation. Prior to her judicial service, Judge Netburn worked from 2002 to 2010 at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP where she rose from associate to partner. She served as a law clerk for Judge Harry Pregerson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002. Judge Netburn received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 2001 and her B.A. from Brown University in 1994.

5. Stacey D. Neumann: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maine

Stacey D. Neumann has worked in private practice at Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, Maine since 2013, and has been a partner at the firm since 2017. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Neumann served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and then an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. Before that, she was a staff attorney at the Vermont Office of the Defender General in Chittenden County from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Neumann served as a law clerk for Judge Peter W. Hall on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2006 to 2007 and for Judge John A. Dooley on the Vermont Supreme Court from 2005 to 2006. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 2005 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from James Madison University in 2000.

6. April Perry: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

April Perry has been Senior Counsel of Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention at GE HealthCare since 2022. She was previously the General Counsel at Ubiety Technologies from 2019 to 2022. From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Perry served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Chief Ethics Officer for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She also worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2004 to 2016. Ms. Perry served as a law clerk for Judge Joel M. Flaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2003 to 2004. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2003 and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University in 2000.

7. Judge Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Cynthia Valenzuela has been a judge on the California State Bar Court in Los Angeles since her appointment by the California Supreme Court in 2016. Previously, Judge Valenzuela worked as the Criminal Justice Act Supervising Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2016 and as the head of national litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Judge Valenzuela served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California from 2000 to 2006; as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2000; and as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Los Angeles from 1995 to 1998. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1995 and her B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1991.

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America is a Nation founded on the promise of second chances. During Second Chance Month, we reaffirm our commitment to rehabilitation and reentry for people returning to their communities post incarceration. We also recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals and ensures that everyone receives equal justice under law. That is why today I am announcing steps I am taking to make this promise a reality.

I am using my clemency power to pardon 11 individuals and commute the sentences of 5 individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Many of these individuals received disproportionately longer sentences than they would have under current law, policy, and practice. The pardon recipients have demonstrated their commitment to improving their lives and positively transforming their communities. The commutation recipients have shown that they are deserving of forgiveness and the chance at building a brighter future for themselves beyond prison walls.

Like my other clemency actions, these pardons and commutations reflect my overarching commitment to addressing racial disparities and improving public safety. While today’s announcement marks important and continued progress, my Administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms in a manner that advances equal justice, supports rehabilitation and reentry, and provides meaningful second chances. 

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on Clemency Actions appeared first on The White House.

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is using his authority under the Constitution to advance equal justice under law by granting clemency to 16 deserving individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is pardoning the following eleven individuals:

Jason Hernandez – McKinney, Texas
Jason Hernandez is a 47-year-old man who was convicted of several non-violent drug offenses for conduct that began while he was still a juvenile. Had Mr. Hernandez been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly shorter sentence. Since his conviction, Mr. Hernandez has accepted responsibility and demonstrated exemplary rehabilitation while incarcerated. President Obama commuted Mr. Hernandez’s sentence in 2013, and he was granted early termination of his supervised release in 2021 in recognition of his “exceptional” post-release conduct. He now runs a nonprofit that transformed the store in front of which he used to sell drugs into a market that provides good quality and affordable food. The mayor of his hometown, other city officials, colleagues, and community members uniformly attest to the change in Mr. Hernandez’s character since his conviction, the significant contributions he’s made to his community, and his humble, giving nature.

Beverly Holcy (Beverly Canty) – Palatka, Florida
Beverly Holcy is a 59-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 27. Had Ms. Holcy been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, she would have received a significantly lower sentence. Ms. Holcy successfully served her sentence and completed her probation obligations. Since her release, she has been fully employed, volunteers at her church, and assists in various community activities. Coworkers, friends, and neighbors describe her as honest, trustworthy, dependable, reliable, hardworking, and compassionate.

Jeffrey Alan Lewis – Douglasville, Georgia
Jeffrey Alan Lewis is a 58-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 40. Had Mr. Lewis been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly shorter sentence. Mr. Lewis served his sentence and completed the obligations associated with his supervised release. Since his release, he has been consistently employed, contributes to the community through charitable works and active community engagement, and he has built a reputation as “a family man.”

Bobby Darrell Lowery– Jackson, Mississippi
Bobby Darrell Lowery is a 50-year-old man who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense at the age of 25. He served his sentence and successfully completed the terms of his probation. Since his release, Mr. Lowery has maintained steady employment and actively volunteers at his church and at various community-based organizations. Friends and colleagues praise his work ethic, dedication to his family, and strong moral character.

Jesse Mosley– Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Jesse Mosley is a 42-year-old man who pleaded guilty to non-violent drug offenses at the age of 19. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly lower sentence. He served his sentence and completed his supervised release. Since his release, Mr. Mosley started a business, manages rental properties, and works as a realtor. He is described as generous and deeply committed to his family, his employees, and his community. Mr. Mosley regularly donates to school and local police department fundraising events, provides groceries and other necessities to those in need, and supports new businesses.

Katrina Polk– Washington, D.C.
Dr. Katrina Polk is a 54-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 18. She successfully served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, Dr. Polk has furthered her education, including earning a PhD in public policy and administration. She has also engaged in extensive community service, locally and nationally, and is a respected advocate for the elderly. Colleagues, supervisors, friends, and community members uniformly praise her character and work ethic and consider her a role model, noting her demonstrated commitment to serving others.

Glenn Ray Royal – San Antonio, Texas
Glenn Ray Royal is a 49-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 20. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a shorter sentence. He served his sentence and completed the terms of his supervised release. Since his release, he has earned two degrees and has steadily worked in the information technology field. He also serves as a mentor and coach for college students, assisting them with developing business plans, marketing plans, and websites. Friends and others attest to his trustworthiness and his dedication to his family and colleagues.

Alexis Sutton –New Haven, Connecticut
Alexis Sutton is a 33-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Ms. Sutton received early termination of her probationary sentence. Since then, she has taken classes in hopes of earning her nursing degree and ultimately becoming a registered nurse. She is an active participant in her church. Colleagues, friends, and neighbors describe her as resilient, reliable, caring, hard-working, and a role model, and they note her devotion to her family and her studies.

Ricky Donnell Tyler– Columbia, South Carolina
Ricky Donnell Tyler is a 54-year-old man who was convicted of non-violent drug offenses. He was 26 years old at the time of sentencing. He served his sentence and completed the terms of his supervised release. Since his release, he has earned a Class A driver’s license and has worked as a truck driver. In 2015, Mr. Tyler started his own business. He is dedicated to his family and mentors young people so that they might learn from his mistakes. His family and friends uniformly attest to his dedication to his work, family, and youth in his community.

Stacy Lynn Wilder– Albany, New York
Stacy Lynn Wilder is a 49-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Had Ms. Wilder been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, she would have received a significantly lower sentence. She served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, she has worked as a payroll examiner and in related roles in state government, earning promotions and positive feedback from her supervisors. She contributes money and goods to organizations that support the unhoused, animals, and veterans. Community members and neighbors describe her as trustworthy, hard-working, good-hearted, and someone who is always willing to help others.

Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez – Fairfax, Virginia
Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez is a 48-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. She completed her sentence and the terms of her probation. Since her release, she has maintained steady work and has dedicated her time to her family and volunteered at her church. People describe her as reliable, loyal, and trustworthy, and uniformly commend her on being a devoted mother.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is commuting the sentences of the following five individuals:

Daequon Charles Davis – Johnson City, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine.
Sentence: 262 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (July 2017).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 120 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Jophaney Hyppolite – Miami, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and to possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams cocaine base; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base.
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (January 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 360 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Xavier Martez Parnell – Clarksville, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Sentence: 300 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (September 2012).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 210 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Leshay Nicole Rhoton – Bristol, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
Sentence: 240 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (September 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 150 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Margaret Ann Vandyke – Ellenville, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance (crack cocaine).
Sentence: 60 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release (January 2022).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to expire on August 22, 2024, leaving intact and in effect the 3-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

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The post Clemency Recipient List appeared first on The White House.

America is a Nation founded on the promise of second chances. During Second Chance Month, we reaffirm our commitment to rehabilitation and reentry for people returning to their communities post incarceration. We also recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals and ensures that everyone receives equal justice under law. That is why today I am announcing steps I am taking to make this promise a reality.

I am using my clemency power to pardon 11 individuals and commute the sentences of 5 individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Many of these individuals received disproportionately longer sentences than they would have under current law, policy, and practice. The pardon recipients have demonstrated their commitment to improving their lives and positively transforming their communities. The commutation recipients have shown that they are deserving of forgiveness and the chance at building a brighter future for themselves beyond prison walls.

Like my other clemency actions, these pardons and commutations reflect my overarching commitment to addressing racial disparities and improving public safety. While today’s announcement marks important and continued progress, my Administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms in a manner that advances equal justice, supports rehabilitation and reentry, and provides meaningful second chances. 

###

The post Statement from President Joe Biden on Clemency Actions appeared first on The White House.

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is using his authority under the Constitution to advance equal justice under law by granting clemency to 16 deserving individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is pardoning the following eleven individuals:

Jason Hernandez – McKinney, Texas
Jason Hernandez is a 47-year-old man who was convicted of several non-violent drug offenses for conduct that began while he was still a juvenile. Had Mr. Hernandez been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly shorter sentence. Since his conviction, Mr. Hernandez has accepted responsibility and demonstrated exemplary rehabilitation while incarcerated. President Obama commuted Mr. Hernandez’s sentence in 2013, and he was granted early termination of his supervised release in 2021 in recognition of his “exceptional” post-release conduct. He now runs a nonprofit that transformed the store in front of which he used to sell drugs into a market that provides good quality and affordable food. The mayor of his hometown, other city officials, colleagues, and community members uniformly attest to the change in Mr. Hernandez’s character since his conviction, the significant contributions he’s made to his community, and his humble, giving nature.

Beverly Holcy (Beverly Canty) – Palatka, Florida
Beverly Holcy is a 59-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 27. Had Ms. Holcy been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, she would have received a significantly lower sentence. Ms. Holcy successfully served her sentence and completed her probation obligations. Since her release, she has been fully employed, volunteers at her church, and assists in various community activities. Coworkers, friends, and neighbors describe her as honest, trustworthy, dependable, reliable, hardworking, and compassionate.

Jeffrey Alan Lewis – Douglasville, Georgia
Jeffrey Alan Lewis is a 58-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 40. Had Mr. Lewis been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly shorter sentence. Mr. Lewis served his sentence and completed the obligations associated with his supervised release. Since his release, he has been consistently employed, contributes to the community through charitable works and active community engagement, and he has built a reputation as “a family man.”

Bobby Darrell Lowery– Jackson, Mississippi
Bobby Darrell Lowery is a 50-year-old man who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense at the age of 25. He served his sentence and successfully completed the terms of his probation. Since his release, Mr. Lowery has maintained steady employment and actively volunteers at his church and at various community-based organizations. Friends and colleagues praise his work ethic, dedication to his family, and strong moral character.

Jesse Mosley– Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Jesse Mosley is a 42-year-old man who pleaded guilty to non-violent drug offenses at the age of 19. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly lower sentence. He served his sentence and completed his supervised release. Since his release, Mr. Mosley started a business, manages rental properties, and works as a realtor. He is described as generous and deeply committed to his family, his employees, and his community. Mr. Mosley regularly donates to school and local police department fundraising events, provides groceries and other necessities to those in need, and supports new businesses.

Katrina Polk– Washington, D.C.
Dr. Katrina Polk is a 54-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 18. She successfully served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, Dr. Polk has furthered her education, including earning a PhD in public policy and administration. She has also engaged in extensive community service, locally and nationally, and is a respected advocate for the elderly. Colleagues, supervisors, friends, and community members uniformly praise her character and work ethic and consider her a role model, noting her demonstrated commitment to serving others.

Glenn Ray Royal – San Antonio, Texas
Glenn Ray Royal is a 49-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 20. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a shorter sentence. He served his sentence and completed the terms of his supervised release. Since his release, he has earned two degrees and has steadily worked in the information technology field. He also serves as a mentor and coach for college students, assisting them with developing business plans, marketing plans, and websites. Friends and others attest to his trustworthiness and his dedication to his family and colleagues.

Alexis Sutton –New Haven, Connecticut
Alexis Sutton is a 33-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Ms. Sutton received early termination of her probationary sentence. Since then, she has taken classes in hopes of earning her nursing degree and ultimately becoming a registered nurse. She is an active participant in her church. Colleagues, friends, and neighbors describe her as resilient, reliable, caring, hard-working, and a role model, and they note her devotion to her family and her studies.

Ricky Donnell Tyler– Columbia, South Carolina
Ricky Donnell Tyler is a 54-year-old man who was convicted of non-violent drug offenses. He was 26 years old at the time of sentencing. He served his sentence and completed the terms of his supervised release. Since his release, he has earned a Class A driver’s license and has worked as a truck driver. In 2015, Mr. Tyler started his own business. He is dedicated to his family and mentors young people so that they might learn from his mistakes. His family and friends uniformly attest to his dedication to his work, family, and youth in his community.

Stacy Lynn Wilder– Albany, New York
Stacy Lynn Wilder is a 49-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Had Ms. Wilder been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, she would have received a significantly lower sentence. She served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, she has worked as a payroll examiner and in related roles in state government, earning promotions and positive feedback from her supervisors. She contributes money and goods to organizations that support the unhoused, animals, and veterans. Community members and neighbors describe her as trustworthy, hard-working, good-hearted, and someone who is always willing to help others.

Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez – Fairfax, Virginia
Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez is a 48-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. She completed her sentence and the terms of her probation. Since her release, she has maintained steady work and has dedicated her time to her family and volunteered at her church. People describe her as reliable, loyal, and trustworthy, and uniformly commend her on being a devoted mother.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is commuting the sentences of the following five individuals:

Daequon Charles Davis – Johnson City, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine.
Sentence: 262 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (July 2017).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 120 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Jophaney Hyppolite – Miami, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and to possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams cocaine base; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base.
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (January 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 360 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Xavier Martez Parnell – Clarksville, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Sentence: 300 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (September 2012).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 210 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Leshay Nicole Rhoton – Bristol, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
Sentence: 240 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (September 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 150 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Margaret Ann Vandyke – Ellenville, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance (crack cocaine).
Sentence: 60 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release (January 2022).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to expire on August 22, 2024, leaving intact and in effect the 3-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

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The U.S. freight system is vital to our nation’s economy. Trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods worth more than $49 billion every day, across a vast network that is essential to how Americans live and work. But while industry has made progress on reducing emissions from this sector, freight movement continues to represent a significant share of local air pollution, increasing the risk of asthma, heart disease, hospitalization, and other adverse health outcomes for the millions of Americans, especially overburdened communities, who live and work near highways, ports, railyards, warehouses, and other freight routes. The transportation sector is also the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., with trucks and buses comprising nearly a quarter of emissions from the sector. That’s why President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting solutions that address harmful pollution, and has spurred $165 billion of private sector investments in zero-emission vehicle technologies.

Building on this momentum, the Biden-Harris Administration is today announcing a first-ever national goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight sector for truck, rail, aviation and marine, along with a commitment to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy. This whole-of-government strategy includes new federal investments announced today, continued engagement with stakeholders on zero-emissions freight infrastructure, and forthcoming action plans on each of the freight segments. The strategy will prioritize actions to address air pollution hot spots and tackle the climate crisis, mobilizing a broad range of government resources, and reflect public participation and meaningful community engagement, furthering the President’s commitment to environmental justice for all. This new commitment to zero-emissions freight aligns with and supports President Biden’s existing goals for a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and for achieving net-zero emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. It also aligns with the Administration’s commitment to work with other countries to identify pathways and implementation actions that enable zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to reach 30 percent of new sales in 2030 and 100 percent of new sales by 2040.

Investing in Zero-Emissions Freight Sector

The Administration is also unveiling several key steps under the strategy, including major new funding programs, a new initiative to track and accelerate deployment of charging and refueling infrastructure, and a new program to standardize heavy-duty vehicle charging depots:

As part of this commitment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing today a nearly $1 billion funding opportunity for cities, states and Tribes through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to replace Class 6 and Class 7 heavy duty vehicles – which include school buses, trash trucks, and delivery trucks – with zero-emissions vehicles. The funding will support infrastructure to charge, fuel and maintain heavy-duty zero emission vehicles along with workforce development and training to get this work done. Under the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, at least $400 million of the program’s funding will serve communities dealing with significant air pollution. Projects supported through this program will reduce air and noise pollution, improve public health, and create good-paying clean energy jobs.  

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is announcing the first tranche of its $400 million Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Grant Program to improve air quality and reduce pollution for truck drivers, port workers and families that live in communities surrounding ports. The Department of Energy (DOE) is also announcing a $72 million investment to establish a “SuperTruck: Charged” program that will demonstrate how vehicle-grid integration enables depots and truck stops to provide affordable, reliable charging while increasing grid resiliency.

Convening Stakeholders to Accelerate the Transition to Zero-Emissions Freight

The Administration is today bringing together stakeholders from commercial truck fleets, ports, vehicle manufacturers, state and local governments, utilities, infrastructure providers, climate and environmental justice organizations for a convening at the White House focused on supercharging the buildout of the infrastructure necessary to make a zero-emissions freight ecosystem a reality in the United States. Today’s convening on zero-emissions freight infrastructure is designed to launch a series of engagements aimed at tackling emissions from the movement of goods across the nation and recognizes the great progress made already by leaders in freight decarbonization. The roundtable will mobilize action towards successfully implementing the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, with special attention paid to infrastructure targets from 2024 to 2027, and will provide Administration officials with insight into the opportunities and challenges facing communities looking to set actionable goals, integrate new planning methodologies, and protect people’s health.

Building on the Administration’s Freight Policies

Today’s announcements build on the Administration’s ongoing work across federal agencies to tackle emissions from America’s freight system. 

• Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: In January 2023, DOE, EPA, DOT, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) jointly released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. Building on this work, the Biden-Haris Administration is coordinating with each of these agencies to draft a series of decarbonization strategies for each segment of the freight system.

• Zero-Emissions Freight Corridor Strategy: Last month, the Joint Office, in collaboration with DOE, DOT, and EPA, released the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, a vision for the development of charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure along high-volume freight highways and hubs by 2040. To complement this multi-phase strategy, DOT designated National Electric Vehicle Freight Corridors along the National Highway Freight Network and other key roadways.

• Heavy Duty Vehicle Regulations: In December 2022, EPA finalized standards to reduce emissions that form smog and soot from Model Year 2027 and later heavy-duty engines and in March 2024, the agency finalized new greenhouse gas emission standards from heavy-duty vehicles for Model Years 2027-2032. The standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to public health, the climate, and savings for truck owners and operators. The final standards will also reduce dangerous air pollution, especially for the 72 million people in the United States who live near truck freight routes, bear the burden of higher levels of pollution, and are more likely to be people of color or come from low-income households.

Advancing Environmental Justice for All

Throughout the process of building a strategy to implement this new goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight ecosystem, the Biden-Harris Administration will provide opportunities for meaningful engagement from relevant stakeholders, including communities with environmental justice concerns, Tribal Nations, state and local governments, manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles and equipment, fleets and freight operators, and climate and environmental justice organizations. Such engagement will ensure the federal government’s actions to reduce emissions are better targeted, more effective, and reflect the priorities of community groups that have frontline experience with air pollution from the freight sector.

Disparities in ambient air quality have widened over the last decade even as air pollution levels have fallen, and the burden of persistent levels of elevated air pollution remains more heavily borne by communities of color and low-income families. While 120 million Americans live in places with unhealthy air quality, a higher percentage of the exposed population are people of color, who experience nearly eight times higher rates of pediatric asthma and 1.3 times higher risk of dying prematurely from exposure to pollutants. High levels of air pollution are often found in neighborhoods ringed by factories or next to highways, despite most sources meeting emission standards.

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that every person has a right to breathe clean air and live in a healthy community – now and into the future. That is why, during his first week in office, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, launching the most ambitious environmental justice agenda in our Nation’s history. To continue delivering on that vision, last year President Biden signed Executive Order 14096 focused on ensuring environmental justice for all people, further embedding environmental justice into the work of federal agencies to achieve real, measurable progress that communities can count on.

As the Biden-Harris Administration leads an all-of-government approach to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, it will build on ongoing work and structure to further advance environmental justice, including:

• Commitment to Identifying and Investing in Disadvantaged Communities: Established in his first week in office, the President’s Justice40 Initiative set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, clean transit, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. To date, 518 programs across 19 federal agencies, including 74 Inflation Reduction Act-funded programs, are being reimagined and transformed to  meet the Justice40 goal and ensure the benefits reach the communities that need them most, including cleaner air and accessible public transit. Federal agencies are making this happen with the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which is used to identify disadvantaged communities that benefit from the Justice40 Initiative.

• Environmental Justice Across the Federal Government: Agencies across the Biden-Harris Administration, including DOT, DOE, and EPA, are pursuing a suite of actions that advance environmental justice, including through grants, strategic planning, and collaborative partnerships, and by strengthening public health protections under the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution from mobile and stationary sources (e.g., revised ambient air quality standards, updated emission standards for passenger cars, commercial trucks and buses).

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The U.S. freight system is vital to our nation’s economy. Trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods worth more than $49 billion every day, across a vast network that is essential to how Americans live and work. But while industry has made progress on reducing emissions from this sector, freight movement continues to represent a significant share of local air pollution, increasing the risk of asthma, heart disease, hospitalization, and other adverse health outcomes for the millions of Americans, especially overburdened communities, who live and work near highways, ports, railyards, warehouses, and other freight routes. The transportation sector is also the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., with trucks and buses comprising nearly a quarter of emissions from the sector. That’s why President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting solutions that address harmful pollution, and has spurred $165 billion of private sector investments in zero-emission vehicle technologies.

Building on this momentum, the Biden-Harris Administration is today announcing a first-ever national goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight sector for truck, rail, aviation and marine, along with a commitment to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy. This whole-of-government strategy includes new federal investments announced today, continued engagement with stakeholders on zero-emissions freight infrastructure, and forthcoming action plans on each of the freight segments. The strategy will prioritize actions to address air pollution hot spots and tackle the climate crisis, mobilizing a broad range of government resources, and reflect public participation and meaningful community engagement, furthering the President’s commitment to environmental justice for all. This new commitment to zero-emissions freight aligns with and supports President Biden’s existing goals for a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and for achieving net-zero emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. It also aligns with the Administration’s commitment to work with other countries to identify pathways and implementation actions that enable zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to reach 30 percent of new sales in 2030 and 100 percent of new sales by 2040.

Investing in Zero-Emissions Freight Sector

The Administration is also unveiling several key steps under the strategy, including major new funding programs, a new initiative to track and accelerate deployment of charging and refueling infrastructure, and a new program to standardize heavy-duty vehicle charging depots:

As part of this commitment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing today a nearly $1 billion funding opportunity for cities, states and Tribes through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to replace Class 6 and Class 7 heavy duty vehicles – which include school buses, trash trucks, and delivery trucks – with zero-emissions vehicles. The funding will support infrastructure to charge, fuel and maintain heavy-duty zero emission vehicles along with workforce development and training to get this work done. Under the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, at least $400 million of the program’s funding will serve communities dealing with significant air pollution. Projects supported through this program will reduce air and noise pollution, improve public health, and create good-paying clean energy jobs.  

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is announcing the first tranche of its $400 million Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Grant Program to improve air quality and reduce pollution for truck drivers, port workers and families that live in communities surrounding ports. The Department of Energy (DOE) is also announcing a $72 million investment to establish a “SuperTruck: Charged” program that will demonstrate how vehicle-grid integration enables depots and truck stops to provide affordable, reliable charging while increasing grid resiliency.

Convening Stakeholders to Accelerate the Transition to Zero-Emissions Freight

The Administration is today bringing together stakeholders from commercial truck fleets, ports, vehicle manufacturers, state and local governments, utilities, infrastructure providers, climate and environmental justice organizations for a convening at the White House focused on supercharging the buildout of the infrastructure necessary to make a zero-emissions freight ecosystem a reality in the United States. Today’s convening on zero-emissions freight infrastructure is designed to launch a series of engagements aimed at tackling emissions from the movement of goods across the nation and recognizes the great progress made already by leaders in freight decarbonization. The roundtable will mobilize action towards successfully implementing the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, with special attention paid to infrastructure targets from 2024 to 2027, and will provide Administration officials with insight into the opportunities and challenges facing communities looking to set actionable goals, integrate new planning methodologies, and protect people’s health.

Building on the Administration’s Freight Policies

Today’s announcements build on the Administration’s ongoing work across federal agencies to tackle emissions from America’s freight system. 

• Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: In January 2023, DOE, EPA, DOT, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) jointly released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. Building on this work, the Biden-Haris Administration is coordinating with each of these agencies to draft a series of decarbonization strategies for each segment of the freight system.

• Zero-Emissions Freight Corridor Strategy: Last month, the Joint Office, in collaboration with DOE, DOT, and EPA, released the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, a vision for the development of charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure along high-volume freight highways and hubs by 2040. To complement this multi-phase strategy, DOT designated National Electric Vehicle Freight Corridors along the National Highway Freight Network and other key roadways.

• Heavy Duty Vehicle Regulations: In December 2022, EPA finalized standards to reduce emissions that form smog and soot from Model Year 2027 and later heavy-duty engines and in March 2024, the agency finalized new greenhouse gas emission standards from heavy-duty vehicles for Model Years 2027-2032. The standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to public health, the climate, and savings for truck owners and operators. The final standards will also reduce dangerous air pollution, especially for the 72 million people in the United States who live near truck freight routes, bear the burden of higher levels of pollution, and are more likely to be people of color or come from low-income households.

Advancing Environmental Justice for All

Throughout the process of building a strategy to implement this new goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight ecosystem, the Biden-Harris Administration will provide opportunities for meaningful engagement from relevant stakeholders, including communities with environmental justice concerns, Tribal Nations, state and local governments, manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles and equipment, fleets and freight operators, and climate and environmental justice organizations. Such engagement will ensure the federal government’s actions to reduce emissions are better targeted, more effective, and reflect the priorities of community groups that have frontline experience with air pollution from the freight sector.

Disparities in ambient air quality have widened over the last decade even as air pollution levels have fallen, and the burden of persistent levels of elevated air pollution remains more heavily borne by communities of color and low-income families. While 120 million Americans live in places with unhealthy air quality, a higher percentage of the exposed population are people of color, who experience nearly eight times higher rates of pediatric asthma and 1.3 times higher risk of dying prematurely from exposure to pollutants. High levels of air pollution are often found in neighborhoods ringed by factories or next to highways, despite most sources meeting emission standards.

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that every person has a right to breathe clean air and live in a healthy community – now and into the future. That is why, during his first week in office, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, launching the most ambitious environmental justice agenda in our Nation’s history. To continue delivering on that vision, last year President Biden signed Executive Order 14096 focused on ensuring environmental justice for all people, further embedding environmental justice into the work of federal agencies to achieve real, measurable progress that communities can count on.

As the Biden-Harris Administration leads an all-of-government approach to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, it will build on ongoing work and structure to further advance environmental justice, including:

• Commitment to Identifying and Investing in Disadvantaged Communities: Established in his first week in office, the President’s Justice40 Initiative set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, clean transit, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. To date, 518 programs across 19 federal agencies, including 74 Inflation Reduction Act-funded programs, are being reimagined and transformed to  meet the Justice40 goal and ensure the benefits reach the communities that need them most, including cleaner air and accessible public transit. Federal agencies are making this happen with the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which is used to identify disadvantaged communities that benefit from the Justice40 Initiative.

• Environmental Justice Across the Federal Government: Agencies across the Biden-Harris Administration, including DOT, DOE, and EPA, are pursuing a suite of actions that advance environmental justice, including through grants, strategic planning, and collaborative partnerships, and by strengthening public health protections under the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution from mobile and stationary sources (e.g., revised ambient air quality standards, updated emission standards for passenger cars, commercial trucks and buses).

###

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Today, we pause to remember the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern—the Armenian genocide—and renew our pledge to never forget.

The campaign of cruelty began on April 24, 1915, when Ottoman authorities arrested Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. In the days, months, and years that followed, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths—leaving families forever broken, and generations forever changed.

As we mourn this tragedy, we also honor the resilience of the Armenian people. After enduring one of the darkest chapters in human history, survivors began forging a better future for our world. With courage and commitment, they rebuilt their lives. They preserved their culture. They strengthened the fabric of nations around the world—including our own. And they told their stories to ensure that the mass atrocities that began on this day 109 years ago are never again repeated.

This remains our solemn vow. Today—and every day—the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and speak out against intolerance. We will continue to meet hate and horror with hope and healing. And, we will continue to stand with all those who seek a future where everyone can live with dignity, security, and respect. 

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Newly finalized rules will mandate automatic, cash refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed flights and save consumers over half a billion dollars every year in airline fees

WASHINGTON – Building on a historic record of expanding consumer protections and standing up for airline passengers, the Biden-Harris Administration announced final rules that require airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed and protect consumers from costly surprise airline fees. These rules will significantly expand consumer protections in air travel, provide passengers an easier pathway to refunds when owed, and save consumers over half a billion dollars every year in hidden and surprise junk fees.
 
The rules are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to lower costs for consumers and take on corporate rip-offs. President Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in 2021 that encouraged DOT to take steps to promote fairer, more transparent, and competitive markets.
 
Requiring Automatic Cash Airline Refunds
The first rule requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed because their flights are cancelled or significantly changed, their checked bags are significantly delayed, or the ancillary services, like Wi-Fi, they purchased are not provided.
 
Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how to make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. Passengers would also receive a travel credit or voucher by default from many airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.
 
DOT’s rule makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. The final rule requires refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must promptly issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees.

Protecting Against Surprise Airline Junk Fees
Secondly, DOT is requiring airlines and ticket agents to tell consumers upfront what fees they charge for checked bags, a carry-on bag, for changing a reservation, or cancelling a reservation. This ensures that consumers can avoid surprise fees when they purchase tickets from airlines or ticket agents, including both brick-and-mortar travel agencies or online travel agencies.

The rule will help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected charges that can increase quickly and add significant cost to what may, at first, look like a cheap ticket. Extra fees, like checked baggage and change fees, have been a growing source of revenue for airlines, while also becoming more complex and confusing for passengers over time. In total, thanks to the final rule, consumers are expected to save over half a billion dollars every year that they are currently overpaying in airline fees.

DOT’s rule ensures that consumers have the information they need to better understand the true costs of air travel. Under the final rule, airlines are required to:

• Disclose baggage, change, and cancellation fees upfront: Each fee must be disclosed the first time that fare and schedule information is provided on the airline’s online platform — and cannot be displayed through a hyperlink.
• Explain fee policies before ticket purchase: For each type of baggage, airlines and ticket agents must spell out the weight and dimension limitations that they impose. They must also describe any prohibitions or restrictions on changing or cancelling a flight, along with policies related to differences in fare when switching to a more or less expensive flight.  
• Share fee information with third parties: An airline must provide useable, current, and accurate information regarding its baggage, change, and cancellation fees and policies to any company that is required to disclose them to consumers and receives fare, schedule, and availability information from that airline.
• Inform consumers that seats are guaranteed: When offering an advance seat assignment for a fee, airlines and ticket agents must let consumers know that purchasing a seat is not necessary to travel, so consumers can avoid paying unwanted seat selection fees.
• Provide both standard and passenger-specific fee information:  Consumers can choose to view passenger-specific fee information based on their participation in the airline’s rewards program, their military status, or the credit card that they use — or they can decide to stay anonymous and get the standard fee information.
• End discount bait-and-switch tactics: The final rule puts an end to the bait-and-switch tactics some airlines use to disguise the true cost of discounted flights. It prohibits airlines from advertising a promotional discount off a low base fare that does not include all mandatory carrier-imposed fees.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration
Both of these actions were suggested for consideration by the DOT in the Executive Order on Promoting Competition and build on historic steps the Biden-Harris Administration has already taken to expand consumer protections, promote competition, and protect air travelers. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• DOT launched the flightrights.gov dashboard, and now all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov.
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.
• DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect consumers from surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, as the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity. The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

Travelers can learn more about their protections when they fly at FlightRights.gov. Consumers may file an airline complaint with the Department here.

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